Friday, June 14, 2013
I tried a caipirinha for the first time many years ago when visiting Brazil, and appropriately so given it’s the country’s national cocktail. The drink is similar to the mojito, minus the mint. As well, the recipe uses cachaça, Brazil’s most popular liquor, in lieu of rum; both are made from sugar cane.
The basic caipirinha does not include strawberries, of course, so feel free to omit if you’re not into it. But I love my fruity concoctions and made this tasty cocktail to celebrate the arrival of strawberry season to Boston.
So grab your mortar and pestle and let’s get mixing!
Ingredients
- 1 lime, cut into eighths
- 2 tsp superfine sugar
- 2 oz cachaça
- 1/2 oz St. Germain (optional)
- 1-2 oz strawberries, puréed or finely mashed
Directions
Muddle the lime and sugar together until the fruit is crushed and the sugar is dissolved. Shake all ingredients together and pour into a rocks glass. Note that if you make a basic, non-berry caipirinha, you can muddle the limes and sugar at the bottom of the glass, add the remaining ingredients, mix with a spoon, and avoid a few dishes. But I find it’s easier to bring the ingredients together by breaking out my martini shaker. Also, I like shaking cocktails.
Happy Friday!
